In a letter from Richard F. Willingham of Atlanta, Georgia, dated 1 July 1968, he states "Gathings is English...My brother (James) in touring southern England last fall visited Hastings. In the Abbey on the battle ground was a special plaque that listed ROLL OF HONOR -- BATTLE OF HASTINGS. Included in the list of names was GATHINGS (no first name)." Another reason it is believed that Gathings is English is that when the family migrated from Virginia to the Carolina's they settled in an area known as the "OLDE ENGLISH DISTRICT". Prior to and during the War of Independence (American Revolution), Lord Cornwallis headquartered his troops in the district.
The first Gathings Family representative in this country that has been identified was John Gathings, who died in Richmond County, Virginia, in 1708. He was married to Anne____. They were the parents of at least three sons and one daughter:
1. Phillip Gathings; b. before 1704; m. Jane King (daughter of Theophilis King)
2. John Gathings
3. Cobham Gathings; d. 1778; m. Judith Milner on 26 Feb. 1726/7
4. Winifred Gathings m. Henry Fann
m. William McKenney
m. William Haines II
On 1 July 1706, John Gathings purchased from George Glascock and Million Glascock the following described land for the price of two thousand pounds of tobacco in casks;
"One parcel of land being by estimation 60 acres be more or less situated, lying and being in the parish and county aforesaid upon the branches of Totuskey Creeke beginning at a standing black gum near the head of a small branch issuing out of the Western Swamp so northerly up the said branch to the Potomack and so along the road to Nutts Land thence south 61 1/2 degrees east to stake to the easter corner of said 400 acres; thence southwest to the place it began being part of 400 acres of land given to me the said George Glascock by my grandfather George Nickols, deceased, as may appear by an instrument of writing upon writing. The said John Gaythings to have and hold the above 60 acres of land, be it more or less."
A transcribed copy of John Gathings will which was Signed, Sealed and delivered on the 29th day of November 1708 in the Parish of Farnham and County of Richmond, Virginia is in our possession.
Ann Gathings, widow of John, remarried about 1709 to a David Smith (who died in 1711) in Richmond County, Virginia.
Cobham Gathings, who must have been born about 1705-1707, married Judith____Milner on 26 February, 1726/27, in North Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia. Judith____Milner was apparently a widow, who had previously married William Milner:
A William Milner also lived in Richmond County and is mentioned in the North Farnham Parish Register several times. He and his wife Mary had a daughter, Betty, born 21 August,1723. The following year, the register records a daughter, Winfred born to William, but with a wife Judith -- 28 January 1724/5. It appears that William died shortly after that. In 1726/7 a Judith Milner marries a Cobham Gathings.
Cobham and Judith_____Milner Gathings were the parents of seven children:
1. Alice Gathings; b. 29 May 1730
2. Claryman Gathings; b. 29 April 1732
3. John Gathings; b. 25 May 1734
4. Ann Gathings; b. 12 January 1736
5. Philip Gathings; b. 9 June 1740
6. Lucy Gathings; b. 10 November 1742
7. Sarah Gathings
There is nothing known at this time of the life of Cobham Gathings. He died in Richmond County, Virginia, in 1778, and his estate was not settled until 5 July 1784 (apparently he died intestate). In the final settlement of his estate (Account Book 2, p 37) we find:
"Pursuant to the within order we the subscribers this day Divided the Estate of the said Cobham Gaythins and we find a Ballance in the hands of William Miskell the Administrator of Twenty Pounds Seven Shillings and fourpence half-penny which is to be equally divided between Ann Gaythins, Sarah, Alice, Lucy, Claramen and Phillip Gaythins. Certified under our hands this 5th May 1784.
John Sydner
Luke Williams
Thomas Dobyns"
Philip Gathings was born 9 June 1740, the son of Cobham and Judith Milner Gathings. Sometime before 1777 (the date of his signing a petition in Anson County), he and his family moved from Richmond County, Virginia to Anson County, North Carolina. In the 1790 census of the Fayette District of Anson County, he was listed as head of household consisting of 3 white males over the age of 16, 3 white males less than the age of 16, three females, and one slave. In the 1790 census of Richmond County, Virginia, the only Gathings Family member listed was Ann Gathings, undoubtedly Philip's sister. This indicates that John, his brother, had probably died, and that the rest of his sisters had either married or died. Note, too, that John was not listed in the settlement of his fathers estate.
Philip's first wife (unknown) bore him three children:
1. John P. Gathings "of South Carolina"
2. Philip Gathings "of North Carolina"
3. Charles Gathings
Philip's second wife, Hannah_____, bore him five children, two sons and three daughters:
3. James Gathings; b. 1782; d. 4 July, 1844; m. Jane Jackson on 24 February, 1817; b. 15 August, 1799; d. 23 May 1876
4. Sampson Gathings; d. 1830 in Baldwyn County, Alabama
5. Lucy (Polly) Gathings; m. William Hinson
6. Sarah Gathings; m. Stephen P. Knight (lived in Noxubee County, Mississippi)
7. Mary Jane Gathings; m. Clark Strickland (lived in Yalobusha County, Mississippi)
As noted above we know that Philip Gathings migrated to Anson County, North Carolina before 1777 because he was a signer, along with Henry Covington, of a petition to the Governor in 1777: "A Petition of the inhabitants of Anson County, 1777". Because of the inconvenience cause by the PeeDee River dividing the county, the petitioners asked for a division of the county with the river as the dividing line. The petition was successful, because on 23 October 1779, Anson County was divided, creating Richmond County from the Eastern part of Anson County. He was a signer of other petitions during the 1780's.
Records in the Anson County Courthouse show that Philip Gathings was party to eighteen land transactions between 1 January 1778 and 16 January 1810. It was interesting to note that the currency used in these transactions was English pounds and shillings.
It is not known where or when Phillip Gathings died, though he obviously died after 1810 (from the land record dates, above).
There is a possibility that Phillip moved to Henry County, Tennessee with a grandson named John. This has to be confirmed.
James Gathings The next member of the Gathings Family was James Gathings, born in 1782 in Anson County, North Carolina. He was a farmer and a speculator by occupation, and being shrewd and intelligent he was very prosperous financially. He never went to school except for three months in his life, but notwithstanding this drawback, he was considered an intelligent man, and was one of the heaviest tax-payers in the county. He was a Baptist in his religious views.
On 24 February 1817, he married Jane Jackson, the daughter of Jesse Jackson and Delilah Meadow. Jane Jackson was born 26 July 1801 (or 15 August 1799). In the lineage chart in the Aberdeen, Mississippi library it is indicated that Jane Jackson was the cousin of President Andrew Jackson. The claim that Jane Jackson was the cousin of Andrew Jackson cannot be substantiated.
James Gathings' older half-brother, John P., was a witness to a will filed in Anson County, North Carolina, 7 September 1816. This would indicate that he was resident of North Carolina at that time. John P's homeplace is located approximately one quarter mile inside the boundary of the state of South Carolina. He built the home in 1847. The house survived General Sherman's march through the South where he burned everything in sight, and the house is still standing in excellent repair. The story which is told by decendents of John P. is that a Union Soldier went up stairs to start the fire and his wife threw him down the stairs where he left in disgust.
James and Jane Jackson Gathings were the parents of seven children: 1. James Jackson Gathings; b. 1 Dec 1817; d. 24 Dec 1880; m. (1) Martha Wall Covington on 5 April 1838; b. 4 May 1819; d. 8 June 1870; (2) Eliza Powell Covington b. 7 Feb 1831; d. 18 July 1904
2. Philip Gathings; b. 31 Oct. 1819; d. 24 April 1895; m. Elizabeth Ann White on 26 Oct. 1843; b. 24 Mar 1825 d. 28 Feb 1896
3. Susannah Ann Pemelia Gathings; b. 14 Aug 1821; d. 15 Dec 1897; m. David A. Covington 23 Feb 1837
4. Sampson Gathings; b. 29 Mar 1823; d. 9 Dec 1896; m. (1) Martha Chambers in 1843; (2) Susan Williamson in 1861
5. George Washington Gathings m. (1) Mary Virgie Smith; (2) Ada Viola Martin
6. Jackson Monroe Gathings; b. 17 June 1826; d. 11 Nov 1908; m. Mary Leslie Williams (1826-1900)
7. Mary Jane Gathings; b. 1827; d. 1906; m. Sidney Randel
James Gathings was an activity buyer and seller of land in both Anson and Union Counties. He bought some of his land from his father and he was a recipient of two land grants in Anson County. Other land transactions are recorded in Anson and Union County Courthouses.
James Gathings died on 4 July 1844 in Union County, North Carolina. He died intestate and there is a large collection of estate settlement records stored in the basement of the Monroe County, Mississippi, Courthouse. He left a large estate, and there was a significant amount of litigation associated with the settlement of his estate. One has to wonder why a family of this wealth and position would pull up their roots and migrate to Mississippi and Texas.
He is buried in a cemetery on his farm, about 11 miles from Monroe, Union County, North Carolina. The small cemetery contains four graves: James Gathings, Susannah Gathings (daughter of James J. and Martha Wall Covington Gathings), John M. Randel (son of Sydney and Mary Jane Gathings Randel), and Benjamin C. Covington (son of David and Susannah Gathings Covington). All of the graves except that of James Gathings are those of children, his grandchildren. The cemetery is difficult to find because it is completely grown over with new growth trees and carolina jasmine and surrounded with mature forest. We descendants of James Gathings should be equally interested in the preservation of his burial site as we are of other burial sites. This is the oldest physical evidence of our heritage and should receive our attention before it is to late to save it.
From the records in the Monroe County, Mississippi Courthouse it has been determined that James Gathings and his wife, Jane, moved to Monroe County about 1843-1844. The records show that they owned land and were residence there and that Jane later laid claim to the property after James=s death. M. T. Gathings of Winston Salem, North Carolina believes that James Gathings died on a trip back to North Carolina because none of the Mississippi family knew the exact date of his death. This would explain the record showing that James Gathings died in Union County, North Carolina.
On 15 August 1846 Jane Gathings petitioned the Probate Court of Monroe County & State of Mississippi to settle the estate of James Gathings. The petition states her late husband (James Gathings) did possess a large estate both real (in North Carolina and Mississippi) and personal property, leaving it to her and a number of children surviving him.
Jane Gathings died 23 May 1876 in Union County, North Carolina. She is buried in the David A. Covington lot in Monroe, North Carolina. A transcribed copy of her will is in our possession.